about me

Simon James Phillips is an Australian composer and musician living in Berlin. His work defies most existing labels and is at home in the contexts of classical, new music, experimental, jazz, electronic music. This cross-fertilisation informs his many creative and performative approaches resulting in unique concerts and events. He collaborates with dance, theatre, art/installation, and film.

He creates immersive work that explores the perception of time and place through sound by building an expansive sonic atmosphere. Simon takes particular care to tailor his compositions and performances to each individual context. He incorporates a method of collaborative composition that invites musicians to contribute creatively and always seeks to understand and utilise the site specific qualities available for each project. He is also an accomplished pianist with experience performing within both the classical and experimental/new music context.

Simon, as either performer or composer, has participated in the Approximation Festival (Düsseldorf), Audio Art (Krakow), Bend/Break Festival (Berlin), Borealis Festival (Bergen), Darmstädter Ferienkurse (Darmstadt), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (Huddersfield), Jazzfest Berlin (Berlin), Maerzmusik (Berlin), and the Sydney International Festival of the Arts (Sydney). He has performed in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. He has been artist in residence at the Banff Centre (Canada) and Teatro Maria Matos (Portugal).

"This is sensuous, immersive ambient music and a stunning example of how a good composer can distil the bombast and drama of the pipe organ into a thing of simple grace and beauty".